This invention relates to scratch-resistant coatings, strippable coatings, and methods for applying and for removing coatings.
UV curable coating compositions have been applied to installed flooring materials such as wood flooring and vinyl tiles. When these jobsite-applied UV cured floor finishes show the effects of wear, they require removal and renewal. Current commercially available jobsite-applied UV cured floor finishes are generally regarded as not being chemically strippable from the flooring material. Instead, more aggressive removal techniques such as floor sanding may be employed, thereby leading to removal of a portion of the underlying floor surface and creating dust issues at the jobsite. This has discouraged the use of jobsite-applied UV cured floor finishes.
A jobsite-applied floor finish desirably should exhibit an even, smooth appearance and good wear resistance, but be strippable with a suitable strip agent so that it can be removed when worn. Strippability is desirable because in time almost all flooring materials can become sufficiently worn or dulled in appearance to warrant renewal or refinishing. Unfortunately, it has proven difficult to develop UV curable coatings having a desirable balance of appearance, wear resistance and strippability. We have found that it is particularly difficult to develop strippable UV curable coatings that will resist deep scratches.
The present invention provides, in one aspect, a waterborne radiation curable coating composition comprising sufficient amounts of:
a) at least one acrylate functional oligomer having a functionality greater than 3, and
b) at least one vinyl ether oligomer having a functionality greater than 1 to provide a coating that when cured will resist deep scratches.
The invention provides, in another aspect, a hardened coating on a substrate, the coating comprising a radiation cured reaction product of a waterborne composition containing sufficient amounts of:
(a) at least one acrylate functional oligomer having a functionality greater than 3, and
(b) at least one vinyl ether oligomer having a functionality greater than 1 so that the coating resists deep scratches.
The invention provides, in yet another aspect, a coated floor wherein the coating comprises a radiation cured reaction product of a waterborne coating composition containing sufficient amounts of at least one acrylate functional oligomer having a functionality greater than 3 so that the coating resists deep scratches.
The invention also provides a finish kit comprising (a) a waterborne radiation curable coating composition comprising at least one acrylate functional oligomer having a functionality greater than 3 and at least one vinyl ether oligomer having a functionality greater than 1, (b) a strippable intermediate coating and (c) instructions for jobsite application of the intermediate coating and radiation curable coating composition to a substrate, wherein the radiation curable coating composition provides a coating that when cured will resist deep scratches.
The invention also provides a method for protecting a surface comprising applying to the surface a waterborne radiation curable coating composition comprising:
(a) at least one acrylate functional oligomer having a functionality greater than 3, and
(b) at least one vinyl ether oligomer having a functionality greater than 1 and drying and radiation curing the coating to provide a cured film that resists deep scratches.
The invention also provides a method for protecting a floor comprising applying to the floor a waterborne radiation curable coating composition comprising at least one acrylate functional oligomer having a functionality greater than 3, and drying and radiation curing the coating to provide a cured film that resists deep scratches.